Saturday, August 11, 2012

When my parents came last week, my mom introduced me Sea Salt Caramel Chocolates. We bought them at the beach...twice :) We tried to make them, kind of successfully, by warming up store bought caramels and sprinkling them with sea salt and then dipping those in melted semi sweet chocolate chips. We decided (1) let's do milk chocolate next time and (2) we need homemade caramels! I found a delicious caramel recipe on cooks.com (click here for recipe).

If sweet and salty is your thing and you don't want to spend mega bucks at the candy store, and you don't own a candy thermometer - this is a winner :)

While the caramels were still warm, I put pinches of sea salt all over it! After it cooled, I didn't have any tricks to cut cleanly through the caramels so I grabbed a washed soda lid and cut circles

With just a teaspoon or so of butter, I melted 5 Hershey bars for one minute. Stopped to stir it at 30 seconds.

Then I just put each caramel on a fork, dipped it in my chocolate and set it on wax paper to harden. Then I put a dash of sea salt on each chocolate for good measure and tastiness :)

Sunday, December 25, 2011

"Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world's busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the "spirit of Christmas," we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the "Spirit of Christ." -President Thomas S. Monson

Oaks & Associates, Inc.

Dallin

at 6 years old

Gemma

at 2 1/2 years old

Maia

at 2 1/2 months old

Funny Quotes by Dallin

Dallin was upset with me about something and was making an angry face. I started to sing, "If you chance to meet a frown..." before I could even get to "...do not let it stay," he says seriously with an even angrier face, "I'm letting it stay..." I just started cracking up and he did too :)September 2012

Dallin's shoe came untied and he was in the backseat trying to figure it out himself. He's heard a lot of different rhymes to help the shoe tying process along, but I've never heard his... "The monkey goes over the hole, through the hole, to the mailbox, sits on the couch, and ties up the bad guy!"July 2012

We were watching a movie and a couple was just pronounced man and wife, they were about to kiss, and Dallin said, "That's what I call love!"July 2012

Dallin was running from the waves on the beach and he yelled, "Run for your lives!"July 2012

Watching videos of Dallin with Dallin on the blog and we were both cracking up at one of him laughing when he was little and through laughs he said, "That is the funniest video in town!"June 2012

We were walking back from the pool and I told Dallin we were going to get into a nice warm bath and he just kept talking about how much fun it is to have Gemma in the bath with him. We get inside and I put Gemma in and she just lights up and Dallin said, "Aw, that's the smile I've been waiting for!" So So So Sweet!!!June 2012

Dallin was wrapped up in a blanket and asked me to hug him while he was all wrapped up.April: "Sure, I'll give you a big bear hug."I hugged him in the blanket.Dallin: "Thanks! Now, can you give me a human hug?"May 2012

Dallin: "Remember when I was hanging out with Angie and then we comed to the hospital to see this cute little baby?" (pats Gemma on the head)May 2012

Dallin: "Wowie, Jowie, Cowie!"April: "Wow! Where did you learn that phrase?"Dallin: "Hmm...maybe from China."April 2012

We were watching The Adventures of TinTin and there was kind of an intense scene and Dallin covered his eyes and kept saying, "I can't look, I can't look..."March 2012

We were watching American Idol and Dallin asked us what was going on. I told him people sing and if they do a good job, they get on a TV show. He watched one guy sing and said, "Wellll...he's big, but he's not good at songs." Our own little judge :)January 2012

Dallin: "Mom, do mouths help us talk?" (opens mouth wide)April: "Yes"Dallin: "Do feet help us walk?" (walks in a circleApril: "Yes"Dallin: "And do our stomachs help us do this?" (rolls his tummy in and out over and over)

Dallin: "Mom, if I close my eyes, this cookie tastes even better!"December 2011

Dallin: "Mom, am I allergic to carpet?"December 2011

Dallin:"Mommy, are you so beautiful?"April: "What do you think?"Dallin: "Um...sort of beautiful."November 2011

Today Dallin was cuddling with me on the couch when my stomach growled. Dallin looked and me and said, "Baby roar!"May 2011

In Despicable Me, there is a scene where one of the minions drinks soda from a bottle at the store as it's exploding. Dallin exclaimed, "He not drink it! He need buy it first!"April 2011

*Smarty Pants*Dallin was quiet for a few minutes so I went to check on him, he was taking the batteries out of my bathroom scale and putting them in his remote control for his Lightning McQueen car!March 2011

"My daddy is big, he's SO big. My mommy is small like a bug, but she's not a bug."March 2011

*Sweet*Dallin was having a hard time going to sleep tonight and he kept calling me back into the room. Probably around the 10th time he called me in he said, "Mommy, I don't want you to leave." Then he grabbed my hand and said, "Just stay here." So I stayed a few minutes :0)Feb 2011

Dallin was taking his bath and I heard him say, "This bubble is Mommy. I'm going to pop Mommy." Hmm...Feb 2011

Mike and I were driving in the car and he said to me, "How's it going, Cookie?" From the backseat Dallin corrected, "It's not Cookie, it's Babe!"Dec 2010

After sitting on his potty for some time, Dallin stands up, points into the potty, and says, "My eggs hatched!"Feb 2011

Dallin's favorite thing to say lately before he does...pretty much anything is, "Watch, this is gonna be cool!"Feb 2011

I sat down on Dallin's bed and he said, "No! You're squishing my bed!"Feb 2011